In Paradisum
by A Study In Elegant Death
Summary: I'm here, I'm here. A bird arcs across the sky. Don't die, don't die. Paradise disappears when you close your eyes for the last time.  Oneshot folder. Caius and Noel centric, but most characters are present.
1. Losses

Title: In Paradisum

Chapter: 1 - Losses

Authoress: A Study in Elegant Death

Warnings: Mild to strong language, same gender pairings, violence, sexual references, character deaths.

Theme: Noel and Serah's relationship as siblings; comforting those who have lost all. I strongly suggest you listen to KOKIA's _Daiji na Mono wa Mabuta no Ura_ while reading this. I consider that _In Paradisum_'s theme song.

A/N: For this story, Sunleth Waterscape occurred _before_ Oerba. As always, reviews are welcome. Thank you!

Authoress's Question to Ponder: Are Noel and Serah a better pair as siblings or lovers? You decide.

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><p>In Paradisum<p>

Losses

A Study in Elegant Death

_"She was the same. The same face, the same voice. But even so... she didn't know me at all."_

_-Noel Kreiss_

Their first impression of Oerba wasn't a happy one by any means. The entire village was completely barren. A blanket of dust and dirt coated the worn, broken roads and filled the air, making it a chore to even breathe. Houses that once protected smiling Oerbans were now filled with monstrous Cie'th. To say the very least, it was a village ravaged by devastating war and stripped of what little hope it had left. But even so, there was something to do here. They had a paradox to solve, an artefact to find, and a gate to open. The first obvious anomaly was the distorted space that swallowed the village whole. If they even hoped to find the artefact and matching gate, they needed to be able to search every nook and cranny that was Oerba.

Serah Farron sighed at the miserable landscape. The anomalies were solved, thanks to more than a few cases of Noel running around time labyrinths while her and Mog shouted tips from the distance. She was always the optimistic type - while not completely away from earth, she tried to find the best things about a situation. She tried to make gold from lead. And most of the time, though her companion wouldn't admit it, she succeeded. Serah's personality was moderately strong, with enough passion to stand up and fight, but the sense to back down. She didn't let things fall into place on her lap - she put them there herself. The younger Farron girl took a few steps away from where the time distortion once was and looked around. There had to be _something _here that she could work with. "It's not very cheery scenery, is it?" she asked the man behind her, not sure if he was even listening or not. The brunette crossed his arms.

"I remember hearing the stories from my grandmother. The War of Transgression had everyone in Oerba turned to Cie'th - which explains why the Village Proper was crawling with them," Noel explained, shaking his head. "They must have never recovered." He stood next to Serah now, also surveying the area around them. It might have been nothing, but this village was giving him a very bad feeling.

Noel liked to think that things would turn out well for them - who wouldn't? - but he realised a bit down this road with Serah that he tended to be a bit more down to Pulse than she was. He rationalised things more than she did. He knew when only a few things - for example, finding Snow, solving the paradoxes, stopping their currently unknown enemy - were possible, though she seemed to believe that _everything _would work out in the end. It wasn't a bad trait, but the way it set her up for disappointment wasn't something he particularly enjoyed. He had yet to see her truly break down - he never wanted to see that.

Even with their differences, they worked together, protected each other, and became close friends. He looked at their relationship as a sort of brother and sister relationship, where he was tasked with taking care of her. She had replied with a sneaky smile and saying that it was the other way around - "I'm older than you!" she had giggled. Noel had advanced more quickly in combat than she did, which, with a huff from her lips and a cross of her arms, proved her argument invalid. Serah was the one with the power over monsters - which was why, currently, they had a behemoth, an albino lobo, and a caterchipillar with them. It made the teacher happy to name the monsters and dress them up with little accessories, even if Noel found it horribly degrading for the poor behemoth - Serah decided that a pink bow fitted him _just so nicely _and the name Furball, even better. "Etro, have mercy," Noel remembered saying.

As the two explored the now recovered landscape, Serah sighed with slight annoyance at the fact that they weren't finding anything. It didn't help that they didn't know what exactly they were looking for, but after being in the Bresha Ruins, two years after her present day, she was sure something was going to jump out at them sooner or later. As Noel pointed out the almost invisible silhouette of a floating object on top of a nearby house, her hopes rose. Was it the artefact? Noel was quick to throw the ball of fur that was Mog over to it, but the moogle came back with something none of them knew what it was. "Bad luck, kupo," the creature sighed, handing over the object to Serah.

The pink haired girl looked at it with confusion, but gave up quickly. "Maybe Hope will know what this is. We should keep it for now," she suggested. Noel nodded in concordance, and they kept going. The village was also barren in the way of vegetation - a few trees here and there, which Noel and Serah, more so the latter, literally stumbled across. The roots of the trees were large and thick, spread out in all directions.

At last, they came to some stairs. Before even taking the first step down, Serah looked out across the expanse of water. She smiled; it was absolutely beautiful. The grains of crystal sand seemed to blend with the clear water, and the sun reflected brilliantly off the surface. "So pretty," she murmured, starting her walk down the stairs. As the two reached the beach, they looked to both sides. To the right of them was more beach, while a building took up the area to the left.

Noel pointed towards the building. "Let's go check it out. We might find something there," he suggested. Serah shrugged, analysing the building. It appeared to have some kind of garden above it, but the rest of the building was just as worn down as the others. The green of the garden contrasted greatly with the arid wasteland that was Oerba, and a bit of a refreshment for her eyes. Serah nodded finally, and the two began walking. She led the trio up the stairs after a brief look of the lower floor. It seemed to be an abandoned schoolhouse - a treasure sphere in the corner, and nothing else. Being a teacher, it was sad for her to see, but she quickly dropped it.

Behind her, Noel's worry increased dramatically. He didn't know what it was, but something in his head was going off - like an alarm, repeating the same word: _danger, danger. _Something bad was about to happen, and he didn't want to know what it was. Up in the garden, Serah had run off to the other side. "Hey, it's an Oracle Drive!" she noticed, coming to a stop just in front of it. Just as her gloved hand hovered over the hexagonal device, a voice startled her.

"Stop."

The tips of her fingers brushed against the Drive, and it activated, knocking Serah back a few feet. "Serah!" Noel called, catching the girl before she hit the ground. A picture materialised above the machine, and the prophecy began playing.

"_Hey, look there."_

_The figure of a younger Serah leans down near a small boy, pointing out his father to the now smiling face. The kid runs forward, and she follows him. "Snow!" she calls out to her fiancée. The blonde man grins, running to meet her halfway. He pulls her into an embrace, spinning her around and repeating her name, along with whispered nothings - "I love you," and "I missed you." - before setting her down. The girl pulls away from the embrace, instead taking his hand and leading him toward the face she had dreamed about her entire crystal sleep._

"_Lightning..."_

_The two hug, a reunion between beloved sisters. The older sister looks down at Serah, eyes soft. "Serah, I'm sorry," she whispers._

"_Serah, I'm sorry."_

"_Serah, I'm sorry."_

"_Serah, I'm-"_

"_Serah-"_

_The image blurs. The pictures switch between greyed out and sepia tones. Etro script can be seen, and suddenly, exactly like 200 years ago, Lightning is gone._

"_Serah, I'm sorry."_

_Serah turns to see her fiancée instead saying these words. He looks towards the crystal pillar, the prison for the two sleeping Oerbans, the saviours of Cocoon and Pulse alike. "Lightning must be holding up Cocoon, along with Vanille and Fang," he tells her, though his tone suggests that he doesn't know the answer, either._

_No. This isn't supposed to happen. Hope looks up at Serah, albeit sadly, and hands her a small object. She recognises it. It belongs - _belonged_ - to Lightning. "It's her knife... I found it by the base of the pillar," he says, and Serah hesitantly takes it in both hands. She had been here, Serah thinks. She was right here, just a second ago! she silently yells. Her mind is torn between despair and confusion. Lightning had given them her blessing. She smiled at Snow and said "Congrats." Was she dreaming?_

_Stricken with emotions, swirling in her overwhelmed mind, Serah collapses to the ground. And she cried. Cried, for the sister she had lost yet again._

Hands clasped over her heart, Serah fell to her knees. "The prophecy... it's been changed!" How could this have happened? The events of that day she knew were fake - was someone trying to tell her that she was wrong? No, she knew Lightning was alive. Noel was living proof of that. She looked up to said hunter, as if searching for an answer in his expression, but the brunette simply shook his head.

"If you change the future, you change the past."

Both time-travelers looked up at this. "It keeps changing?" Serah asked nervously. Noel narrowed his eyes. How could he not have guessed that _he_ was behind this, and would be here?

"Change is the constant."

At that moment, Caius appeared from where the picture of the prophecy once was. Noel took a step forward - he had thought about it, but never expected it. He wasn't surprised; relieved was more accurate as to the whirlwind of emotions he felt. His mentor, his friend, was alive after all these years-

"I have seen you. I have seen you both."

Noel turned around sharply at the second voice. Walking towards him, alive and well, was Paddra Nsu-Yeul. Noel's sky blue eyes widened, and he ran towards her, placing his hands around her frail forearms. "Yeul?" he stuttered, looking into her emerald eyes. Serah said something regarding the seeress nearby, but the words didn't register in Noel's mind. This, he hadn't been expecting. Not in the slightest.

Yeul looked up at him, eyes almost void of emotion. Quietly, with that soft, sweet voice of hers, she told him, "I am not the Yeul you know." And with that, she walked towards Caius, facing the pink-haired girl. "We learned of your journey, traveling the timeline. I have been watching you."

Noel shook his head in disbelief. "No... you've been watching us? All this time?"

"Yes. I see you understand the significance of that. Then you must also understand that I am here for a reason. Your actions have necessitated the strictest sanctions!" Caius lifted his sword, power focusing together on the blade. Noel stood in front of Serah, ready to defend if need be. In an instant, Caius sliced his sword through the air, a beam of chaotic energy launching itself at the two. Noel quickly pushed Serah from the way of the attack, barely getting out of the way himself. Having fallen to the ground, Noel pushed his upper body up, locking eyes with his former friend.

"Stop this, Caius. I will _not_ fight you!" Noel shouted, but it fell on deaf ears. Caius took a few steps forward, the tip of his sword pressed into the skin of Noel's chest, just where his heart resided.

"You will pay for your crimes in blood," he growled, and drew back his blade, preparing for the final blow. The one that would finally kill Noel Kreiss.

Air whipped around the sword as it came down, and Noel's world turned white.

"Don't ever lay down and wait to die!" Noel looked up - Serah had her own sword locked with Caius', arms shaking under the pressure. "You said... you said for me to never surrender like that! Don't go back on your word, Noel, not now!" she shouted, then forcefully shoved the Guardian back, letting the tip of her blade hit the wooden floor. She turned to Noel, an exhausted smile on her features, and held out a gloved hand. "Let's go."

Noel took her hand and stood up. Caius sneered, and charged forward. "To change history is a sin!" Noel drew his swords from his back, and crossed them in front of him to block Caius' attack.

"I thought I told you, Caius. I won't fight you!" he yelled, swiftly withdrawing the smaller sword and lashing out at the dark-clothed man, hoping to send him backwards a bit. Somewhere in the background, a small white flower was plucked from the soil.

"It is too late. The timeline has already changed."

The young seeress walked forward, eyes on the stained flower. Caius turned to Yeul, dropping to one knee. "But must we accept this, Yeul?" The girl placed a hand on Caius' shoulder and gave a simple nod. She took a few steps away and turned to Serah and Noel.

"If you change the future, you change the past. You can remold history as your heart desires," she breathed, not moving as Caius placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Let's go now, before you are made to witness more. Come."

Noel looked down, refusing to watch them leave again. The man walked past him, barely brushing the brunette's arm. Biting his lip, Noel whirled around. "Caius!" he yelled, but no one was there. Not Caius, not Yeul...

"Noel? Are you alright?" Serah asked worriedly, pulling Noel away from his thoughts. He gave a simple nod and turned away; a signal to her that the conversation was then over. Serah crossed her arms, placing a hand under her chin.

To say the least, she was confused. Caius was out to kill them, yet Noel insisted they didn't fight. He had also reacted with a bit of contentment when Caius had been shown in the prophecy, whispering something along the lines of "So he _is_ still alive," and thanking the goddess. It seemed the three - Noel, Caius, and Yeul - were all connected somehow, but Serah couldn't put her finger on it. She wanted to ask Noel, but she didn't want to bring up any bad memories. So, she had three choices. She could ask who Caius was; it was something she wanted to know, but she figured they would find out later. This couldn't possibly be a one-time only encounter. She could also ask about Yeul. _"Wait a minute. Hope said that there were many seeresses. That would explain it,"_ Serah thought.

Her last option was about the Oracle Drive in the Yaschas Massif, though she figured she already had the answer to that one. "Noel... that man... Caius... who is he? I saw him in my dream, but the only thing I saw of him was how he fought my sister."

Noel sighed, crossing his arms. "I thought I recognised him... but he couldn't be here, not in this time. I doubt he's the Caius I used to know." The hunter turned back to the Oracle Drive, back to the pink-haired girl. Serah bit her lip and walked towards the stairs. It was better not to ask anymore. He seemed to be in pain - she could tell by his voice. She looked up just as she got to the stairs, and a floating object entered her vision.

The moogle who had previously been silent suddenly chimed in. "An artefact, kupo!" Serah took the object in both hands, holding it up to Noel.

"I wonder how this got here," she said to him.

"We solved the paradox. That's normally when the artefacts come out of hiding," Noel replied simply. Serah looked down, giving a small nod. With the artefact in hand, the two walked towards the gate. All the while, Noel was lost in his thoughts. Yeul... she was the exact same person. She had that same innocent and benign look about her - that same face, with soft, porcelain skin. Her steel blue hair shone brilliantly, like it always did, if not more with the sun reflecting off of the shining strands. She wore the same tribal outfit, and the beaded necklace he remembered helping her make. It was one of the few memories he had of Yeul and his time in his old home.

No matter how he looked at it, she was the same. "She was the same..."

"What?"

Noel turned his attention to Serah, a bit startled by her voice so suddenly. "You said 'She was the same.' Are you talking about Yeul?" she asked.

Noel nodded sadly. "The same face, the same voice... But even so, she didn't know me at all." Noel turned from the gate he hadn't realised they approached, head down in defeat. Caius had left him, and Yeul had died - he remembered all that. But then, why... why was Yeul here? She should have died long ago.

Or was it because his past hadn't happened yet?

Serah sighed. "Let's rest here for today. We can get some sleep and be refreshed tomorrow morning," she told him, sitting down on a tree root. Noel crossed his arms. He didn't exactly want to be here, not when that garden loomed over them in the distance - he felt like he was being watched, and he didn't like it.

"Let's go somewhere else and rest. We could go back to the Yaschas Massif with Hope," Noel suggested hopefully. Serah shook her head.

"This place _is_ a bit depressing, but we solved the paradox, remember? It's like you said in the Historia Crux on the way here: 'If we accomplish something here, Hope's time will change, and the paradox will disappear.' I don't feel like facing that right now, to be honest," she replied softly. Noel accepted his defeat and sat down next to her. Serah had a somewhat worried look on her face, but Noel dismissed it. He _was_ hurt by the encounter, but he would live. He was confused - that was it. Caius and Yeul were alive. It was all he wanted, even if the moment had been fleeting, and now was gone. He just... wanted some tangible evidence of their existence.

"Pulse to Noel! _Hello!_" Serah called, waving a hand in front of the brunette's face. Noel snapped his attention back to the pink-haired teacher. "Are you alright? I was calling your name for a few good minutes. This place actually has a lot of edible plants around. And I looked back at the garden - it seems someone had been growing vegetables. I don't know how, but they're still good," she explained. She was standing in front of Noel, bent over slightly with her arms crossed in front of her. She had emptied out the small bag they used for curative items and now had it slung over her shoulder, green leaves peeking out of the top. Serah studied him for a second, eyes narrowing. "Something wrong?"

Noel shook his head. "No, just thinking. Did you see any creatures other than Cie'th?" he asked. Serah explained that she had seen a few Breshan Bass, but there were very few of them, and she only saw the small group once. Noel stood up, taking his swords and placing them on his back. "That's enough for me. I'm gonna go hunt for a bit," he told her. He heard a 'Good luck!' called after him, but didn't respond. He walked up the nearby ramp and, as he expected, a few Taxims and Chonchons awaited him. They wandered aimlessly in circles, and Noel easily slipped by, taking another ramp up.

A long road led to the left and into dunes of crystal sand, while the road ahead led back into more houses behind a large tree. Noel turned down the longer road, stepping effortlessly over the cracks and breaks in the concrete road. He stopped walking when he reached the top of a dune, looking out over the crystal desert. It was nothing but white - not even the remains of Taijin's Tower were visible. It was strange - Taijin's Tower, the Sulyya Springs, and even a large expanse of the Archlyte Steppe were fully clothed in the sand. But here Oerba lay, untouched. Maybe it was the doing of Etro, taking pity on the home of those who believed in Her. "Guess it... wasn't the same for my home, was it?"Noel murmured. Not even the great goddess Etro could have stopped Cocoon from falling and killing millions, nearly bringing the end to the human race. Noel shook his head and turned his back to the forsaken lands.

When he returned to the fork in the rod, Noel took the north road, jumping over the thick roots of the tree. He looked around, but saw nothing. It was all desolate landscape. There was a building nearby, but pulling on the door told him that it was jammed, and Noel wasn't about to break in - not when the owner was either dead or Cie'th. He didn't know which one was worse. Instead, he took the nearby stairs down, and his vision fell on the garden above the school house.

"_I am not the Yeul you know."_

Her words rang in his mind, echoing in his ears and stabbing at his heart. The girl who he had protected for 13 years didn't know who he was anymore - and it hurt, badly. He knew Caius' intentions, that he wanted to save Yeul from her fate as a seeress - what that was, he couldn't exactly remember. His memories were playing tricks - disappearing, and leaving nothing but a blank page.

He had even lost most of his memories of Yeul and Caius, which bothered him the most. He had a vague idea of the events before he went through the gate to Valhalla, but that was all it was: a vague idea. It was Yeul's birthday, the day when, 15 years ago, she was born.

The day when, not long ago, she died in his arms.

The rest was dusty. Caius was there, he knew. He was always there. The Guardian wanted a fight, a fight Noel wouldn't give him under the pretense of it being Yeul's birthday - Caius' death would make her sad, and Noel wasn't about to let that happen. After that, it was completely blank. Noel thought it cruel, that he only remembered how Yeul died, but only tiny events else. Try as he might, he couldn't remember. Not one thing.

Suddenly angry, Noel kicked the rail of the staircase. "Dammit, Caius!" he yelled. How he hated the man, for leaving Yeul to die, for abandoning Noel at the end of time - and most of all, for betraying him. They were just like brothers, but he and Serah had still been attacked by his former friend.

Noel continued down the stairs, trying to calm himself down. He walked at a slow pace, head down. He wanted to believe that what Caius wanted was a place where Yeul was safe and happy, but wasn't a replica of Valhalla. He remembered how Caius had told him before that under one condition could Yeul be safe - if the world _was_ Valhalla, a place without time, or death, or life.

And in order for that to happen, Etro would have to die.

The thought made Noel sick. If Caius was planning on killing the goddess, Noel didn't know what he and Serah would do, or what they _could_ do. Lightning was on the job, protecting Etro, but she was but one woman, and she couldn't stop Caius on her own, or leave Valhalla for very long - unlike Caius. No matter how they looked at it, Caius had the upper hand in this war. Not to mention that he had Yeul on his side, so that he could continue watching him and Serah. Every move they made, everything they planned - Caius would know about it.

And as Noel walked back to the gate, where Serah sat waiting for her companion's return, and explained to her how he found nothing, it worried him. There was no way they could get a front on him, or plan some surprise attack without him being able to plan for it himself. In other words, they were trapped.

A few hours later, Serah and Noel had gone to find some firewood and managed to build a small fire. The sun had gone down, casting a rosy light over the horizon before night had set it. Now, the only source of light or heat were the flames rising into the air from the small pile of wood. Serah and Mog sat on one side of the fire, Mog sitting in Serah's lap while Serah ruffled his fur affectionately, smiling.

Noel sat staring into the fire on the other side. The flames reflected in his bright blue eyes as he thought on the events of the day. He tried to think positively, but he was completely shaken. He hadn't been expecting an encounter like this, and what _had_ transpired was greatly affecting his emotions - something that happened very rarely, if ever at all. His thoughts were a mess, and anger still lingered in his mind. He placed a shaky hand on his forehead and closed his eyes, trying to tear his thoughts away from the seeress.

"Noel?"

At his name, Noel looked up. "Yeah, what is it?" Noel asked. Serah stood up, moving next to Noel and sitting down again. She seemed a bit unsure of her actions, which made him wonder. Was it about Caius? He wanted to tell her what he thought he had figured out before, but right now - he couldn't. _Caius might be watching,_ Noel reasoned.

"Um... is Yeul... special... to you? I mean, were you...?" Serah made a motion with her hands, tapping the tips of her index fingers together. Noel's eyes widened.

"No! No, no, no. I protected her. As a Guardian, it was my job to help Caius in protecting Yeul from... well..."

"From what?" Serah asked. Noel stumbled for the words - he didn't know what they were supposed to protect her from. He knew that, in the end, he had _failed_, but what had killed her, he had no idea. To his mind, it felt like the knowledge - the _memories_ - were never there to begin with.

"I-I don't remember. Dammit, why does this keep happening?" Noel sighed. Serah moved and kneeled next to him, then placed her arms around him. Although he couldn't see it, with her head resting on his shoulder, she smiled.

"Hugs make people feel better, especially when times are tough. And... you looked like you need it," Serah explained.

"Thank you, Serah."

Serah laughed, sitting back down. "I know what it's like to lose someone you love," she answered, though she still smiled, even with the sentiment in her voice. Noel thought back to the encounter with Snow in the Sunleth Waterscape, and his smile somewhat faded.

"Serah, I'm sorry," Noel began quietly. Serah looked up at his words, surprised. _He sounds exactly like..._ "I wasn't very helpful to you then - you know, with comforting you, I mean," Noel apologised. "Do you, er, want a hug, too?" he asked with a smile. Serah laughed, nodding. Noel pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair. "Don't worry, Serah. We'll find that idiot you call a fiancée. He seems too stubborn to die."

Serah gave him a playful shove, laughing with him. "You sound exactly like Lightning when you say that!" she told him. "And stop calling my hero an idiot. He's a bit slow, but you don't need to point it out!" Serah crossed her arms in mock anger. "But, Noel, don't you worry, either. We'll find Yeul, too."

This surprised him. So, she could see right through him, too... "You think so?" Noel asked, smiling. Serah gave an enthusiastic nod in response, sitting up. "Hey, how about we rest now? I could use some sleep," Noel suggested, laying back and closing his eyes.

Serah yawned, placing a hand over her mouth. "Here?" We could always go to the Yaschas Massif."

"Serah?"

"Yes, Noel?"

"Go to sleep."

**XIII-2**

The next morning, the fire had long gone out and the sun was rising at last. Noel was the first up, internal clock as a hunter telling him it was dawn. Sitting up, the brunette stretched and looked up into the sky. It seemed brighter than it did yesterday, and not just because the paradox had been solved. Noel smiled softly.

Slowly, he stood up. Serah would probably be awake soon, which would mean it was off to the Yaschas Massif with them. Hope was probably waiting there for them, but Noel didn't hold his breath. The paradox of the eclipse was gone, so they would be able to see the true prophecy the Oracle Drive contained - should Hope _actually_ remember them. He knew Serah wanted to see whether the warrior in the picture was _in fact_ Lightning or not, and Noel had his own reason for wanting to see it. Was that really Caius fighting Serah's sister? Noel couldn't help but wonder how he got to Valhalla.

Sighing, Noel shook his head. He didn't need to think about Caius and Yeul right now. He looked over to an area not too far from the fire, seeing Furball resting. "Hey, Furball. Come here," he called quietly to the behemoth. The creature gave a protesting grumble, but still got up, laying down next to the hunter. Noel petted his head as it drifted off to sleep again, and smiled.

There wasn't a thing he regretted about his journey with Serah. While Serah had her motivation, Noel had his, something he didn't realise until now - he wanted _his_ Yeul back, more than anything in the world. Just as he was going to help Serah accomplish her goals and get to Valhalla, he was sure that she would be more than willing to help him find her.

It didn't have to be forever. He just wanted her _back_.

"Noel... are you awake?" A sleepy voice came from a few feet away. Noel laughed.

"Yeah. Question is, are you?" he asked. Serah shook her head, still laying down, snuggling Mog. "Come on, Serah. Time to get up."

"Five more minutes..."

Noel sighed in mock irritation. "Alright, then I guess I'll just go see the prophecy without you."

"Noel Kreiss, you are _horrible_."

Reluctantly, the young Farron rose from her position. Mog floated tiredly in the air, yawning. "It's too early, kupo," the moogle complained, rubbing his eyes. Serah eventually stood up, fixing her gloves and dress before taking the artefact in both hands.

"With this," she began, looking over at the gate, "we can travel to a Yaschas Massif that doesn't suffer from a paradox, right?" Noel nodded.

"We had better get a move on, then. Hope might be waiting."

"Might?"

"Yes. 'If you change the future, you change the past.' In other words, Hope might not remember us being there in the first place," Noel explained. Serah walked towards the gate and inserted the artefact, opening the previously locked portal. "Hey, Serah..." Noel began.

Serah turned to him. "Yeah?"

Noel, at her gaze, turned away. "I'm sorry, for earlier. I, uh, was a bit upset over," Noel paused, taking a deep breath, "Yeul. I'd rather not discuss the details, but she _is _special to me. I never could have imagined that she would be here... yet not the same girl I knew," he tried to explain. He turned to face Serah finally, locking his eyes with hers. "What I mean to say is, now isn't the time to fall back into the past. We're trying to change the future for the better, right?" Noel smiled, and Serah returned it. She took a few steps away, looking up into the sky.

"Thank you, Noel. You know, we're a lot more alike than you think. You wish to find Yeul, while I want to find my sister and Snow. Seems like we're in the same boat, and we both have a reason to be here." Serah took both Noel's hands in hers. "We'll find Yeul, Lightning, and Snow. I just know it."

Noel noticed a few stray tears on her cheeks and wiped them away, smiling. He wanted to reassure her, let her know that he believed in her - in _them_.

Before entering the gate, Noel looked back one final time. He had encountered his past here, and it had hurt him. He wanted his mentor back, his Yeul back. He had lost many things in his past, but somewhere down this road he and Serah were traveling, with paradoxes, time travel, and unresolved mysteries, he realised something.

Serah had, too.

not** the end**

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><p>The next update will be titled <em>Eyes of Etro<em> and is already in the process of being written. If you have requests, from just pairings or moments or fully detailed plots, send me a message or review. All are welcome.

_A Study in Elegant Death_


	2. Eyes of Etro

Title: In Paradisum

Chapter: 2 - Eyes of Etro

Authoress: A Study in Elegant Death

Warnings: Mild to strong language, same gender pairings, violence, sexual references, character deaths.

Theme: An alternate to the original event, mistakes; I strongly suggest you listen to KOKIA's _Daiji na Mono wa Mabuta no Ura_ while reading this. I consider that _In Paradisum_'s theme song.

A/N: This was a bit harder for me to write. I don't know what went wrong. So if this sounds awkward to you at all, I apologise. The next chapter will be better.

Authoress's Question to Ponder: Serah passed under Etro's gaze and received her eyes. Noel also passed under Etro's gaze, but he doesn't have the eyes. Why is this?

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><p>In Paradisum<p>

Eyes of Etro

A Study in Elegant Death

"_You and I are the same. You, too, can show others the way."_

_-Paddra Nsu-Yeul_

_It is cold and dark. The sky is grey, but there are no clouds. The freezing wind rushes past with fury. Golden strips of Etro script surround the buildings of Academia, large rings of green appearing in the places once the strips vanish. A sapphire-coloured gate appears in the sky, and through it, emerges the chaos of Valhalla._

_The empty shell that was once Cocoon isn't spared. As it lay on the surface of Gran Pulse, the chaos envelops it. The new home of the now doomed human race receives the same cruel fate. The blackness ravages the broad plains of Gran Pulse, tainting the rivers, killing the vegetation, and frightening the wildlife to flee._

_All the while, a voice played. Like an intercom over the mayhem taking place, telling the poor sinners that were given the name 'humans' why they had received such punishment._

"_The Heart of Chaos beats in my chest - a manifestation of Etro. Should this heart stop beating, the goddess will die once again. When the goddess dies, the chaos of Valhalla is unleashed. The chaos has the power to warp the timeline, and destroy the past."_

_Suddenly, he feels as if he is floating. The sight of pandemonium blurs, and the voice fades. Except now, there's another voice. A different one - one of a female. Light explodes in his vision._

_Then, he opens his eyes._

"-ake up! Come on, talk to me! Wake up! Can you hear me?"

The crest of the goddess had long disappeared from his sky blue eyes, and as his eyes opened, a pink-haired figure stood over him. Noel sat up quickly, but soon regretted it. Pain formed behind his eyes, and he placed a hand on the side of his head. "Serah?" Said girl moved in front of him, holding his wrists tightly.

"I'm here. What did you see?" she asked worriedly, yet that hint of curiosity was still there. Noel refused to look at her, and instead down at the golden platform.

They were currently in Academia, chasing down Caius. The city was distorted, with floating panels and staircases moving in a distinct pattern from one end of the city to the other. It was 500 AF, the day when Cocoon was supposed to fall. Hope's new Cocoon was at the ready, and would be lifted when the paradox was solved. _That_ was Noel and Serah's job. They were going to track down Caius and defeat him before he could kill the goddess. In other words, they had to travel to Valhalla, where Lightning was waiting for them. He hated the thought of having to fight Caius, but if it would save Serah's loved ones, he was willing to do anything.

Noel stood up slowly, Serah rushing to help, and dusted himself off. "Nothing. At least, I hope so," he replied simply. Serah crossed her arms over her chest.

"So, what is 'nothing', exactly?" she asked, leaning over to look him in the eyes. So, reluctantly, Noel started explaining. As he talked, he noticed her expression changing from fearful, to surprised, and finally to nothing but a small smile. And also, as he talked, he realised how bad it truly sounded. If that was the fate of the world, then something must have gone wrong. Did they fail to defeat Caius? Or was the goddess already doomed?

The vision scared him a bit, he silently admitted, but he wasn't about to let Serah know that. He had to be strong for her, at least until they found Lightning, or maybe even Snow. The name brought back sour memories, but even so, he was worried that maybe he wasn't going to be able to protect Serah. Not if his 'gift' destroyed _him_ first.

So, with a pep talk from Serah ("You worry too much, Noel!"), they continued. She didn't seem too worried about it - in fact, she seemed rather uncaring. He figured it was because she was so certain they were going to change the future for the better. Or maybe, she was just putting up a good front. Nothing seemed to scare her anymore, and he was a bit envious. He thought about things a lot more than she did. And just maybe, his mind was working a bit more than it needed to.

The labyrinth of Academia 500 AF was easy to get through. There had been several times when Serah had tripped or almost fallen, but luckily for her, Noel was quick on his feet and always there to help. As they reached a center platform, Yeul spoke to them. _"No, stop. You must not go this way. The goddess cannot be killed,"_ she told them softly. Serah looked to Noel with uncertainty, then down at the ground. That was when Pacos Luvulite and Amethyst appeared before them. All the while fighting them, Noel and Serah were distracted by the voice of the seeress, and so the battle turned out to be a bit more devastating than they thought it would. But, nevertheless, they had continued.

At last the end of the maze had come, and Yeul spoke to them yet again. _"No. You must not fight Caius."_ Clouds of chaotic energy formed at their feet, and Noel and Serah took a few steps back. Serah turned to her companion.

"Noel, did you hear that?"

"_Your path only leads to evil and despair. It's not too late. You can still turn back."_

Instead of answering Serah, Noel took a few steps forward. He was tired of being told what to do and what not to do. This was all confusing him - if they defeated Caius, evil and despair would be brought upon the world; but if they didn't kill him... then Caius would kill the goddess and the world would suffer from the same fate? "Yeul, what do you mean?" he yelled. "What's going to happen?"

"_A cruel fate. Endlessly repeated, with no hope of release. I cannot see any future."_

"You're wrong. I believe in hope!" Noel shouted in reply. He hated it when Yeul was cryptic. She knew what was going to happen - why wasn't she explaining it to them, instead of handing out riddles?

"_But what if hope does not exist?"_

Noel looked down at this. No... he couldn't leave, abandon the journey like this. He couldn't do that to Serah, or to the world. "I can't turn back now. Not anymore. In my world, you no longer exist. A world without you is no world at all!"

"_I do not have the power to stop you. The choice must be yours, and yours alone."_

A pathway materialised nearby, granting them access to the Academy building. Was she allowing them to continue now? Noel sighed. Serah, who stood next to him, caught on to the confusion in the air.

Were they not supposed to kill Caius or not? Was Yeul just acting on her own emotions? Somehow, she doubted the latter. Yeul appeared cold and distant, and even though they knew she cared deeply for Caius, she also cared for the fate of the world. If leaving Caius be meant the world was going to succumb to a horrible fate, she doubted Yeul would be telling them to turn back. But, didn't she tell them that they were doing the right thing, back in Augusta Tower?

"We should go," she placed a hand on Noel's shoulder, speaking softly. "Or do you want to turn back?"

"_Are you sure... that we should continue? If that's true... you could die," Serah breathes, hands clasped over her heart. Even with the short time they have spent, she realises something: she doesn't want to see the man who cares for her more than his own life die because he tried to protect her. She hadn't known what the visions meant - she hadn't even known of the Eyes of Etro until she had met Yeul. But now, Serah is speechless._

_He wants to continue._

_Of course, she is certain that, was it her with the Eyes, she would want to continue in hope of reaching Valhalla. But unlike her, Noel had no goals like that. Is that the reason why, she wonders. Is it because he has nothing to leave behind? The thought made her want to cry. He is only determined to get Serah to Lightning, and other than finding his Yeul - something he deemed impossible now - he has no life ahead of him. Caius will be dead, since it is up to them to stop him. Of course, he can always settle with us, Serah thinks. "The future, your future, is all I care about. I don't care what happens to me," he says quietly. "We _will_ change the future, Serah."_

_And then, he walks away._

_But all the while, as they walk back to the Farseers' relic, she worries. She worries over what will happen to the world after they defeat Caius, and what will become of Noel. Will he die? Or will they be able to beat the clock that ticks down the seconds until his death? She doesn't know, and it scares her. What will become of Etro? Noel wants to protect her, as does Lightning. Sighing inwardly, she makes a decision._

_I can't let them down, she says silently. We have to change the future - for everyone's sake._

Smiling, Serah shook her head. "No. We're going to change the future, no matter what. We made a promise, and I won't break it," she replied bravely. Noel nodded in concordance, and they continued on their path.

Hurriedly, they crossed the pathway Yeul created for them, and rushed to the Academy building. Overhead, Chaos Bahamut flew - it was _Caius_. Noel pulled out his swords at an offending behemoth stationed in front of the doors. "Serah, get down!" a voice suddenly shouted, and both Serah and Noel ducked out of the way of a few projectile bombs, which effectively killed the creature. Hope jumped off the airship, boomerang in hand. "Good, you're okay."

Noel gave a cocky smile, crossing his arms. "'Course we are. Just took a little detour." Hope laughed softly.

"Get on board. He's the best pilot we have." He pointed in the direction of the airship, and both time-travelers nodded. Once Noel and Serah had jumped off, Serah yelled down to the pilot.

"We're on!"

"Hang on up there, kids! You're on the Sazh express to the sky!"

Serah smiled upon hearing the pilot's name. "Sazh? Is that you?" she asked rhetorically. From what Hope had told them, Sazh had disappeared a while ago - into a paradox, or so they thought. It was great to know that he was alright.

"Hey, Serah! Dajh says he misses your classes!" At this, Serah giggled, remembering the few times she had taught Dajh a few things about Cocoon while Sazh was in town. He needed to know the injustice that his _superhero_, as Dajh thought he was, of a father brought down. Or maybe Dajh was just interested in what the _bad guys_ were like. Noel looked to Serah, questioning in his eyes.

"Friend of yours?" Serah nodded, when suddenly, the ship rocked violently. Chaos Bahamut flew close overhead, stopping just in front of the two.

"We can catch up later! First, we've got a planet to save," Sazh said finally, and Serah raised her weapon.

"A fight for the future, right, Noel?"

"This is it." Noel looked up at the monster, eyes narrow. "Let's go, Caius. You wanna see how well you trained me? This is your chance!"

**XIII-2**

The sky was tearing apart. A large hole emerged in front of the many airships - and where it led, say one was to fall in, was none other than Valhalla. Without second thoughts, the two jumped in, following closely behind Chaos Bahamut. Noel had a tight grip on Serah's hand, just in case the fall wasn't as smooth as he hoped it would be. At last, the grey shores of Valhalla were visible, along with the tower where Etro lay sleeping. And once again, they were falling, the ground fast approaching.

Lightning saved them. Or rather, it was Odin. Serah was quick to recognise the Eidolon, and pointed the fact out. Lightning was helping them yet again. Once Odin had reached the ground, the two jumped off, and Caius stood in front of them, waiting. "Here in Valhalla..." he began, drawing up his sword, chaos swirling at his feet. "The chaos is my ally. Now, we shall decide the true history!"

The next few moments were chaos for their minds. Caius attacked relentlessly, and sometimes, it seemed, from multiple positions at once. Noel tried hard to keep their defensive buffs up and occasionally attacked, while Serah focused more on healing and only so often getting an attack in. It was no use. He was far too strong. Noel took up his swords once again and went in for another strike, parrying with the Guardian before being pushed back. This time, he fell to one knee. "You cannot kill me. Not now," Caius stated, voice cold and emotionless.

"Noel! Ready?" Serah shouted, charging at Caius. Noel stood, nodding.

"Together now!" Serah sliced at Caius' side, and Noel aimed in the general area of his right shoulder. Caius jumped back, lifting his sword to effortlessly block both attacks. But Noel wasn't going to have any of that. He struck again, only to hit Caius' sword. Again, he attacked. "Do you think any of this will make Yeul happy?" he yelled.

"Which Yeul are you talking about?" Caius asked - a rhetorical question. "I've known and protected _hundreds_ of Yeuls! Although they had the same soul, every one of them was unique! A Yeul who dreamed of travel! A Yeul who loved to sing! A Yeul who collected flowers. They all died. All of them, before my eyes!" Grief stricken, Caius struck back. It was less balanced, not as coordinated - emotion driven. He wanted to hit _something_, just to drain his anger.

Noel blocked, drive to kill this man having died. "But despite that, she chose to live again... so she could be with you," he stated sadly. "Think, Caius. Think. Was it really a curse? Was it forced on her by Etro? Do you really think that Yeul wanted to die, and not come back? Of course not. Yeul wanted to come back. Every time she died in your arms, she wanted to come back," his voice trailed off at that. Noel pointed his sword at Caius, not as a threat, but as emphasis. "She knew next life would be short... She knew! Because she wanted to see you! Again and again, without end!" And thus, their dual began again.

"Enough, no more. Lies!"

"Why won't you believe me?"

**XIII-2**

"We must free Yeul. Kill me."

Noel kept his ground, keeping his sword pointed at his former friend - and as much as he didn't want to admit it, he was angry. He just didn't get it. Yeul wasn't cursed. She loved Caius with all her heart. Even if she died, as long as she was with Caius, nothing else mattered. But Caius wanted more. He wanted for Yeul to _live_, and be with him forever.

"Even if it were for Yeul's sake... I wouldn't want to kill you."

Caius looked up, but not at Noel. He looked past the brunette, at Serah, a smirk on his lips. "Lightning is dead. I killed her with my own hands. Will you allow me to go unpunished?"

Serah took a step forward, but Noel held out an arm, blocking her path. "He's lying," he told her simply. Caius struggled to stand, that smirk still remaining.

"In Valhalla, time does not flow as it should. Long before we began our battle, I had already faced her," Caius told them, eyes still on the teacher. "Now she sleeps never to wake. Things that shall happen in your future have already been decided... in my own past. I know how it begins, and how it ends," he stated. Noel sighed. He wasn't making any sense. He was trying to provoke Noel into killing him - maybe if Lightning was his own sister, and he had the mindset of Serah, he would have attacked already.

"Then you should know that you can't provoke me," Noel shook his head. "No matter how hard you try, I am not going to kill you."

"That's right. You hate to kill anyone, don't you? Noel, born at the end of days. You understand the true value of life. But know this," Caius glared. "You will kill me, Noel." Caius swung his sword into the air, a wave of sand launching into the air. Serah fell backwards, an arm protecting her face.

"Caius!"

Noel moved swiftly, taking up one sword to block, and another to slice at the air near Caius' face. Caius jumped backwards, avoiding the small blade, only to have it once again strike at him.

_The moment I cease to be, Yeul shall be released from her curse._

"Give it up. I won't do it."

Noel dug his foot into the sand, halting his movement in a split second. The point of his blade remained dangerously close to Caius' heart - centimetres away. In the few seconds that their eyes were locked, Noel felt his heart give way. He didn't want to kill Caius. He knew it was all for the future, but Caius was his friend - and this was betrayal.

"Impressive." Caius took Noel's blades in both hands, catching the brunette off guard. Noel struggled for hold on it - he knew what Caius wanted to do, and he wasn't going to let him kill himself. "He who can change time must choose between those who die, and those who live. You must bear the burden... of the eternal paradox!"

**XIII-2**

"I... never wanted to hurt anyone. No one deserves to die... not even you, friend."

Noel dug the tip of Caius' sword into the ground, sorrow in his eyes. The body of the man he once knew disappeared along with his sword, and Noel's hands dropped gracelessly to his sides. Caius' words stung in his mind, and Noel closed his eyes. "Farewell..."

A moment later, gates started appearing around them. Mog flew forward, wings flapping in his happiness. "You've resolved the final paradox, kupo!" he told them. Serah turned to Noel hurriedly, eyes full of worry.

"You didn't... see anything, did you, Noel? I mean, when the future changed? Any pain at all?" she asked quickly. Noel laughed, giving her a smile.

"No. I'm fine," he replied simply. "The gates will disappear soon. We should go. Everyone will be waiting, right?" Noel smiled. Serah nodded enthusiastically.

And as they passed through the gate, all feelings of uncertainty disappeared. They had _done it_. They changed the future! Serah smiled brightly, brushing her hair out of her face. She couldn't wait to see Snow and Lightning again. Hope would be there too, waiting for their safe return to join them on the new ark. Vanille and Fang would be alright, too. She couldn't hide her excitement, as if she even wanted to. Noel could settle down with them, too! And since the future was safe, he wouldn't have to see any more visions, and he wouldn't have to die.

A rush of wind passed over her, and Serah opened her eyes, not having noticed that she closed them. They were falling - above Academia, with Bhunivelze in sight. She looked back at her partner. "We did it, Noel!" she called happily.

"We changed the future!" he called back.

"Kupo!" Mog chimed in.

"Hey, look, the heroes are back!" an intercom sounded, and Serah looked down at the airship. It was Sazh! Serah smiled, even if he couldn't see it. She landed smoothly, falling onto one knee before turning to meet Noel. His feet hit the floor and he slowed himself to a stop before hitting the metal top of the airship.

"Nice catch!" he shouted down to Sazh.

"Welcome home!"

"Thanks," Noel replied. He stood up straight now, looking over the edge of the airship. Everything looked so bright - in contrast to how it looked before, when they doubted themselves and their ability to change the future. But things were alright now. It would be nice to see everyone again - he wanted to thank Lightning most of all, for giving him another purpose in life. And as much as he _strongly_ disliked the man, Serah wanted to see Snow, and Noel couldn't wait to see a genuine smile on her face again.

Serah turned to look at the gate they had fallen out of to see it disappear before her eyes. "The gates are closing... It's the end of our journey," she whispered, but not sadly. Even if they had to live in Academia, five-hundred years past her time, she was with her family, and that was all that mattered. And Noel was part of that now, too. For the first time in a long time, she was happy - but the moment, it was fleeting, and she was none the wiser.

It was all thanks to him that she had come this far, Serah thought. If he hadn't entered her life and brought her on this journey, she'd still be in New Bodhum, wishing for the impossible. Serah turned to Noel, hands clasped behind her back. "Hey, Noel?" The brunette turned to her at his name. "Thank you..." Her words drifted off at one look into his eyes. They were unfocused - looking through her, rather than at her. But something was wrong. "Noel?"

Then, it struck her.

"No... no, you can't! Please, no!" Desperately, she grabbed his shoulders. Small whimpers of pain escaped his lips, and she called out his name again. He couldn't be having a vision! Not now, not when the future was-

Etro's crest - it appeared over his sky blue eyes, just as it had in Academia before.

"_The Heart of Chaos beats in my chest - a manifestation of Etro. Should this heart stop beating, the goddess will die once again. When the goddess dies, the chaos of Valhalla is unleashed. The chaos has the power to warp the timeline, and destroy the past."_

_Three figures stand on the shores of Valhalla. One, a female, and two others, two males - they were fighting. A man dressed in black strikes at the female, while the other male quickly moves to guard and strike back. Now standing in front of the female, the man holds his blade at the man in black's heart._

"_Impressive," the man in black says cockily. Then, he grabs hold of the blade, while the owner of it struggles for his grip. "He who can change time must choose between those who die, and those who live. You must bear the burden... of the eternal paradox!" The blade is forced into his chest - into his cursed heart. Slowly, slowly, the beating stops, and the man in black falls to the ground. He is dead._

"_Caius!" the now lone man shouts._

_And in the tower beyond the shores on which they stand, Etro ceases to be. The goddess is dead, and her warrior sleeps in a prison of stone, never to rise, never to live again._

"I... killed... the goddess?" Noel choked out as the crest disappeared. Guilt overcame him as he lost his ability to stand any longer, and he fell into Serah's arms. The last thing he heard was Serah, yelling his name, commanding him to wake up. Her tears fell onto his cheek, and he wished for her not to cry. She didn't deserve to be sad anymore.

Tears rapidly spilled from her eyes as she held Noel's lifeless body in her arms. She yelled for him to come back, but he didn't. His eyes never opened. He never moved. "Why... why did he have to die? What did we do wrong?" Serah muttered, head down in defeat. Behind her, she heard footsteps, but she didn't react.

"Serah?"

She just _couldn't_ take it. "The future changed," she said simply. "It changed... and he was forced to see it," she cried. Was it because _they_ changed the future that he died? But before, when they solved the paradox, he didn't see anything - why now?

"_I... killed... the goddess?"_

Serah thought back. No, the goddess was still alive. They defeated Caius before he could kill Etro. She was safe, so why did the future change so suddenly? A cool wind swept over the two figures, and Serah shivered. The sky darkened, and a feeling of dread filled her. She turned to the moogle floating nearby. "Mog, what's happening?"

"The goddess... she has gone, kupo."

Serah's eyes widened. Etro's gate opened.

A bell tolled once.

Serah laid the body of her friend down on the airship carefully, giving Hope a quick glance before standing up. "I thought... we saved the goddess! We defeated Caius!" Serah panicked. Suddenly, the airship rocked violently. Winds of chaos whipped around it, and Serah fell to the ground with a shriek.

Now, the world was turning into Valhalla, and she knew it. Something had gone wrong - this wasn't supposed to happen. The chaos tainted everything, forming the buildings into those seen in the Unseen Realm. A bell tolled again.

Where was Lightning? And Snow? Fang and Vanille? Sazh was even quiet now. Maybe he knew what had transpired, and kept to himself. Serah couldn't keep the fear from creeping up on her. She had to admit it: she was terrified for the world. This was their fault - her fault. She was the one who wanted to change the future. At first, everything was for Lightning. She had to get herself caught up in the fate of the world.

A bell tolled. Three.

Was this what Yeul was telling them about? The world had no future now. It was Valhalla - there was no time for the past or future to exist. The timeline was warped beyond recognition. And they had come _so_close to fixing it! No... all she had to do was find Yeul. She would have the answers she wanted. Yeul always did.

Four.

"Did Noel tell you... what he saw... before he...?" Hope had his arms around the girl, in an attempt to shield her from the chaos of Valhalla. He couldn't get the last word out. He couldn't stand for another friend to die. He had lost his mother. Then he lost Fang and Vanille. Lightning was gone. And now... Noel had been taken away, too. Serah shook her head softly.

"He didn't tell me anything... He said... 'I killed the goddess,' but... it sounded like it was hard for him to understand. If only I knew what he saw!" Serah yelled.

Five.

The airship rocked again.

Six.

Chaos surrounded the new Cocoon.

Seven.

The Academy building was consumed.

Eight.

All Serah could hear were the bells, echoing in her mind.

Nine.

And then she remembered.

"_The Heart of Chaos beats in my chest - a manifestation of Etro. Should this heart stop beating, the goddess will die once again. When the goddess dies, the chaos of Valhalla is unleashed. The chaos has the power to warp the timeline and destroy the past."_

Ten.

They _had_ killed the goddess.

Eleven.

When Caius died, she did, too.

Twelve.

It finally made sense to her, and she hated it.

Thirteen.

"No... it wasn't supposed to... end like this."

not **the end**

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><p>The next chapter will be called <em>Centuries to Save<em> and is in the process of being edited and posted. Please review. I enjoy your feedback.

Also, I have Tumblr!_ .com_. It is updated far faster than my profile on here is.

Finally, I am taking requests! You can either ask or submit your request on Tumblr, or message me on here. Thank you for your time!

_A Study in Elegant Death_


	3. Centuries to Save

Title: In Paradisum

Chapter: 3 - Centuries to Save

Authoress: A Study in Elegant Death

Warnings: Mild to strong language, same gender pairings, violence, sexual references, character deaths.

Theme: Caius' childhood, his love for the very first Yeul, a strong similarity to Noel; I strongly suggest you listen to KOKIA's _Daiji na Mono wa Mabuta no Ura_ while reading this. I consider that _In Paradisum_'s theme song.

A/N: Yes, I wrote Caius and Yeul a bit OOC. But there is a reason for this. Simply because this is long before the events of _Final Fantasy XIII-2_, so Caius is a different person - sort of. He has yet to be affected by his having the Heart of Chaos and seeing Yeul's countless deaths. Also, I wrote this Yeul with a sassy yet caring personality. I hope you enjoy. And yes, this is Caius/Yeul.

Authoress's Question to Ponder: Can you see Caius and Yeul together in a romantic manner? Or rather as family?

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><p>In Paradisum<p>

Centuries to Save

A Study in Elegant Death

"_Now and forever, he will remember the entire timeline. Caius, he is beyond death."_

_-Paddra Nsu-Yeul_

Long before Cocoon first fell on the Day of Ragnarok, Caius remembers a time when he and others once celebrated the day of his birth. He had only a select few friends back then. He was a Guardian, and he protected the seeress of Paddra. She was known as Yeul, from the Nsu clan. But now, when he looks back, he wonders why he ever once enjoyed living. A few happy memories remained, and he still remembers why they were lost, once upon a time. He hadn't known he was cursed. There was no way he could have foreseen his own future.

But _she_could.

He remembers a time when Yeul and he were friends - simply that. They played games together, went to school together, and even if she was naturally weak and would sometimes pass out, as her mother explained, during their games, they still had fun. He was too young to understand, and too naive to care.

Yeul was a nice girl. The tribe's kids were all friendly towards her. Caius had made himself practically attached to her hip a one point... and they grew, his feelings, to something a bit more than friendship.

_After classes, Yeul always sat in her garden of flowers, petting the abundant petals and taking in their sweet scent. Caius, no matter how close they ever became, never drew up the courage to approach her. She looked so peaceful, so serene in her private bliss. He didn't want to interrupt that. But one day, Yeul saw him._

_Caius hides behind the Nsu tent, peering shyly at the young girl. She sits so quietly and content in the middle of that flower patch. But none of them could ever compare to her, Caius thinks._

_The steel blue of her hair outshines the sapphire petals of the geranium she is holding. Her smile holds more beauty that the snow white roses around her. Emerald eyes look up suddenly, pulling Caius from his reverie. "Caius? I can see you," she giggles. Nervously, the boy steps out from his hiding place._

"_I wasn't watching you, Yeul! I promise!" Caius stutters._

_And that, Caius thinks, it the reason why his relationship with Yeul would never get anywhere. She only had to part her small lips and he was rendered speechless on most occasions. He never knows what to say to her. He has so many words to give her, but he doesn't even know how._

"_I know, Caius," she simply replies, though that hint of amusement remains. Caius, hesitantly, sits down next to her, making sure that he doesn't sit on any of the flowers. "Aren't they pretty?" Yeul asks. Caius quickly nods._

"_But, uh, not as pretty as you!"_

_Yeul blushes at this, and Caius hopes that he didn't say anything wrong. He holds his breath in anticipation - and worry. "That's very sweet, Caius," she responds happily, giggling once again. Oh, how he loved that laugh. It was music to his ears._

_I need to do this, Caius thinks. I need to ask her._

"_Hey... Yeul?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Would you..." Caius begins. "Would you..."_

"_Yeul, sweetie! Can I borrow you for a second?" Yeul's mother calls from the tent. Yeul bows her head curtly to Caius, standing up and giving an apologetic smile._

"_I'm sorry, Caius, but I must go. Ask me next time, alright?" Then, she walks away, leaving Caius in the flower patch alone. Suddenly, the flowers seem a bit duller, and the sky - a darker shade of grey._

Caius remembers a time when he had been in the care of the seeress. It was exactly two months from that day. Caius never gathered the courage to even begin to ask her his question again. But, he guesses, the time he spent with Yeul was enough for him.

_Yeul replaces the cloth in the water, lifts it out and gently squeezes the water back into the bowl. She then folds it neatly, placing it on the boy's forehead. Caius lay quietly in bed, Yeul sitting at his bedside. The girl sighs, worried. "Will your fever ever come down?" she asks more of herself than Caius._

_In response, Caius gives a small smile. "Sorry to trouble you with my germs," he jokes, and Yeul laughs._

_She has been taking care of him since he fell sick three days ago. He isn't dreadfully sick, but it is enough for Yeul to make him stay home. The teacher, Yeul's mother, agreed to let her stay home. Since Caius would normally stay in his own tent alone, Yeul made him stay in the Nsu tent so that she could keep a better eye on him. Or so she tells him. Yeul waves her hand in the air dismissively, smiling. "Don't be silly. Some germs are good for you, you know. You would be a lot sicker if you didn't have any," she tells him matter-of-factly. Caius huffs._

"_That doesn't make any sense. Germs make you sick. That's what your mom tells me," Caius argues, punctuating the sentence with a series of coughs. Yeul brushes a few strands of hair from Caius' forehead and pulls the blanket up to cover him a bit more._

_ "You're hardly in the condition to be arguing with me," Yeul replies, placing her hands in her lap._

_ "I'm not dying."_

_ "No, and I am glad you're not. What would I do without my best friend? Which is why you shouldn't argue with me. You'll strain yourself and maybe die." It started out with a serious tone, but became more satirical as she spoke. Caius smiles, but it fades when Yeul stands up, picking up the bowl and tipping the water out in a bucket nearby. Is she leaving? She places the bowl back next to Caius' bed and clasps her hands in front of her._

"_Are you leaving?" Caius asks sadly, but Yeul gives a negative answer. She shakes her head._

"_Mother is out teaching the kids, so she can't cook for you right now. I'm going to make you some lunch. I need to get a few things from the neighbours, but I'll be back soon," she replies, and walks up to Caius. Quickly, almost nervously, she presses her pale lips to Caius' forehead, then sprints from the room._

"_Did she just...?"_

_ Not so long after that, Yeul steps back into the room carrying another bowl in one hand and carrying a pillow under one arm. She sets the bowl down to accompany the other, then makes a motion to Caius. "Would you mind sitting up?" It's more of a command than a question, but Caius still complies. While his back is away from the bed, Yeul places the pillow against the headboard for him to rest his back on. She picks up the bowl and sits on the edge of his bed._

_ "Now, open your mouth and close your eyes," she tells him, and he does as he is told. A moment later, and a spoon of hot soup is placed in his mouth. He makes sounds of contentment, and Yeul smiles. "Now, I want you to eat all of this, alright? I'll stay with you so that I know if you do or not," she says._

_Not long later, with the now empty bowl on the floor next to the other one, Caius had lay back down and Yeul had crawled into bed with him. The time is about 9:00 P.M. when Yeul's mother comes back in to see the two cuddling in bed, sound asleep._

Caius remembers how much time she spent with him after that day. Of course, they were always the best of friends, but then, it had seemed to have had doubled. Yeul was twelve, almost thirteen, and Caius was thirteen. Her birthday had come quickly, and Caius wanted something special for that night.

_Yeul doesn't even begin to remind anyone of what is today. Caius knows without needing her reminder. But still, he finds it strange that she isn't bragging like the other kids do. But then again, he knows that Yeul isn't like that. Caius decided silently that he is going to prepare something special. He doesn't know what it is, and he doesn't have much time to prepare, but he wants her to know that he cares._

_ So, Caius goes near the Dia tent. The Dia clan of the Paddra settlement were originally from Oerba, but recently, they split and moved to Paddra. The act was more out of making peace with Paddra than it was inter-clan feuds. Caius has a friend from the Dia clan, a bright and bubbly girl by the name of Vanille. She doesn't live in Paddra, but visits often with a friend by the name of Fang. Fang is a bit older than Vanille, and is from the Yun clan, which fully resides in Oerba. "Oh! I see. That's cute! Yeah, I'll help!" Vanille chimes, grabbing Caius' hand and pulling him towards her tent._

_ He wants to make her a bracelet or necklace of some sort, but the clans of Paddra aren't so good at jewelry making. Vanille, however, is quite good at it. "I brought some beads from Oerba, and any kind of string or whatever you want to put the beads on will be fine," she tells him. They enter the tent and she leads him to a bag made of Breshan Bass skin; she opens in and pulls out a small box containing multi-coloured beads. "See?" she holds up the box to Caius._

_ About an hour later, Caius had made a couple bracelets out of the beads. Vanille had made herself one, and by the look on her face, is quite proud of her work. Caius places one of the bracelets on his wrist and stands up, signalling for Vanille to do the same. "Thank you so much, Vani. This really means a lot to me." Caius pulls her into a hug, smiling._

_ "Any time! Now go give her her birthday present, lover boy!" she told him, placing her hands on his back and following him out. She sends him off with a smile, taking off in the opposite direction. Caius immediately rushes to find Yeul._

_ He enters the Nsu tent after calling to the occupants, and Yeul appeared in front of him. "Oh, Caius. I was wondering where you ran off to," she teases. Caius, without saying anything, took her hand and leads out of the tent. "Where are we going?" she asks him._

_ "The garden," he tells her. Once they arrive, they both sit down, and Caius takes the bracelet from his pocket, though hiding it from her vision. "Today's a special day. So, I wanted to make you something special," he explains, holding out the multi-coloured bracelet. She looks at it with amazement, taking the piece of jewellery in her small hands._

_ "These are Oerban glass beads! Where did you get them?" she asks, eyes wide. Caius nervously scratches the back of his head._

_ "I... uh... asked a friend of mine. You know Vanille, right?"_

_ "Of the Dia?"_

_ "Yeah, that's the one," Caius confirms. Yeul smiles, and hands the bracelet back to him, though she didn't withdraw her hand._

_ "Can you put it on me?" she asks. Caius nods, a smile on his lips as he slips the bracelet onto her wrist. Her smile only brightens. "It's so pretty! Thank you so much, Caius!" Caius nods in response. This is what he wants to see: her face light up as her eyes soften, smile wide on her innocent face._

_ "Now be careful with that, alright? They're glass beads. I don't want it to break and you accidentally cut yourself on the glass," Caius tells her seriously, though Yeul only laughs._

_ "Yes, sir."_

It wasn't until two years after that that his life had taken a turn. The elders had requested to see Caius the day after he turned fifteen. Maybe it was just paranoia, but he was sure he was in trouble for _something_. They had given him clear yet strict instructions for the meeting, which made it all the more ominous.

_"They said for me to meet them halfway in between here and Oerba, where the fal'Cie Anima is. I just know it! I did something bad, and they want me turned Cie'th!"_

_ "What wrong have you done?"_

_ "That's a good question."_

_ Yeul shakes her head. "Maybe they wish to praise you. You have been training hard, haven't you? You're the best in the class," she suggests with a comforting smile. Caius shrugs. Unbeknownst to Yeul, Caius doesn't exactly trust the elders of the Farseers. He believes them evil - or maybe that is just because he isn't exactly well-behaved._

_ "Somehow, I doubt it. And they said _tonight_. How ominous is that?" Caius argues. The elders had specified a time of 10:00 P.M. and Caius... well, he isn't too thrilled._

_ It is 7:00 P.M. now, and he and Yeul are sitting in the flower patch near her tent. After a few seconds of silence, Yeul turns to him. "Hey, Caius? Do you remember... it was about two years ago... you wanted to ask me something? You... never asked me, even after all this time," she asks._

_Caius swears his heart stops._

_ "I, uh, was going to ask you..." Caius stutters. So _now_ she brings this up? It's been two years! Of course, he knows he should have asked her by now, but nothing can change that now. He's not ready yet. What if she laughs at him? Or tells the other kids? "I wanted to ask you..."_

_ "You're stuttering a lot, Caius."_

_ At that, Caius stands up. He gently pulls at Yeul's hand and helps her to her feet, both of her hands now in his. Then, he bows his head. "Paddra Nsu-Yeul... will you be my girlfriend?" he asks, voice louder than he wanted it to be._

_ Yeul giggles._

_ She's _giggling_._

_ Caius looks away, disheartened. He knew it. She's laughing because she thinks he's an idiot. Why would he even try? It is just a waste of both their time._

_ "Yes. I will."_

_ He immediately turns his head to look at her. She's blushing a deep crimson, a smile painting her lips. "Why did you laugh, though?" Caius asks, confused._

_ Yeul only giggles more. "You're so dramatic! I feel like you're about to ride up, armoured, on a chocobo and sweep me off my feet!"_

_ Oh. So that's what the giggles were about._

_ Caius sighs in mock despair. "And I thought you were laughing at me!"_

_ The entire rest of the day he spent with her, he celebrates silently. He and Yeul remained together, and only when her mother called her inside did they part. And, at last, the time to visit the elders came upon him._

_ Oerba isn't far from Paddra. In fact, he had travelled the road many times. It would take about thirty minutes, so Caius decides to leave a bit early. As he reaches the site of the fal'Cie, he sees no other human beings. Where are they? He walks a bit closer, but stops at the sight of a sword. He recognises it. It's the Ragnarok, a sword used only by the Guardian of the seeress._

_ Caius knew who the Guardian was. He didn't stand over Yeul like a shadow, but he is always in town - somewhere. He goes by the name of Ballad, but nothing more. Why is his sword here?_

_ Lost in thoughts, Caius doesn't sense the impending attack. But he does hear the growl. Caius jumps back a few feet, reflexes quick and cat-like. He looks up to face his attacker. "You must fight me, young one. Take the sword," the man says. Caius recognises the voice. This is the great protector of the seeress, Ballad. Caius, nervousness tugging at the corner of his mind, takes the Ragnarok from the ground. At first, the weight of it is heavy in his hands. But he gains control, and wields it firmly._

_ The Guardian doesn't wait long to attack again. He uses a broad sword, one rivalling the size of the Ragnarok. It doesn't seem to affect him, Caius notes. He is still very skilled. Caius puts the skills he has learned in school to good use. After a while, it seems useless, though. He trades blows with the Guardian, what strength he has seeming scarce in comparison to Ballad's._

_ The older man knocks Caius back, sending him to the ground. "You are weak!" Ballad growled. Caius narrowed his eyes. If he is anything, it's not weak. He was going to beat this man. "If you wish to win this duel, you must kill me. Now show me you are capable of doing so!"_

_ A few more sword strikes are traded. Finally, they stay with locked blades and an idea hits Caius. He dropped to the ground, swinging a leg out and sending Ballad to the ground, his sword knocked out of his hand. "Impressive," he says. He doesn't move, even with Caius standing above him. "Now, young Guardian, kill me."_

_ Caius lifts his sword above the Guardian's heart. And, with a quiet "Farewell", brings it down. In an instant, the former Guardian is dead._

_ Caius hears a noise behind him, from the fal'Cie. It reaches out to him, strands of energy binding him. "What... what's going on?" he shouts, though more to himself than the fal'Cie._

_ He feels a sharp pain on his neck - and as soon as it appeared, it left._

Caius remembers what happened after that clearly. In honour of his fallen predecessor, Caius took on his name, and from that day, was known as Caius Ballad. He had discovered his state as a l'Cie of Anima, of Pulse, but kept it a secret from Yeul. The elders had found him after his branding, and explained to him what had transpired.

Ballad had been a l'Cie, sworn to protect the seeress until the day he died. Caius had been named after the Guardian - by sharing the same given name, even if Ballad's had remained unknown, Caius was bound to the fate of becoming a Guardian. And when he turned fifteen, Ballad would be killed by Caius if he was strong enough. And Caius would become a l'Cie.

But Caius hadn't been told any of this beforehand. No, this was all new. And while he was happy with being able to protect the seeress, he wondered what Yeul might think after she realised her best friend killed her protector.

She didn't react badly.

_The next day, Caius hurries to find Yeul. He doesn't plan on telling her about his becoming a Guardian or a l'Cie, but he needs to know whether she has noticed Ballad's absence or not._

_ "Caius? You're acting awfully strange," she says once he finds her. He is a little unnerved, but he tries to hide it - obviously, he isn't doing a very good job at it. Caius turns his head to the girl._

_ "Huh? Oh, no, I'm fine. Just made a slight mistake while out hunting-"_

_ "Are you hurt?" She asks. "Tell me if you are. I can help you," Yeul offers. Caius shakes his head. "Besides, you're my new protector, aren't you? You can't protect me if you're injured."_

_ Caius' breath catches and halts in his lungs._

_ "How... do you know?"_

_ "Oh, there were a few signs. The late night visit to the fal'Cie, the fact that Ballad never came in to check on me this morning, your l'Cie brand..." Caius' hand immediately flies to his neck, finding that his shirt collar has slipped down a bit, revealing the site at which Hallowed Pulse branded him._

_ "I thought you'd be angry."_

_ "Why? I knew you would become the new Guardian. I saw it coming," she says casually. Caius remembers the vision she'd had the other day. Assuming it was that one, Caius sighs. She hadn't recorded it in the Oracle Drive, and hadn't told Ballad what it was. At least, that was what Yeul had told him. But she have never shared details of the actual vision to him._

_ "What did you see?" he asks, and Yeul looks down._

_ "The distant future. Cold and dark is the settlement of those Farseers left on the planet. But you, Caius... you were there. You were training the new Guardian."_

_ What never connects in his mind, is the fact that the new Guardian would only be born centuries after the second fall of Cocoon, at least 1,200 years from the current day._

_ Over the next year, Caius becomes protective over Yeul. _Very _protective_. _Even though he isn't the tallest in the village, or even the biggest built, he realised that many were intimidated by him. He had taken on practising with the Ragnarok, which he keeps on him at all times now. Trading out his casual clothes for armour, he protects the seeress with the utmost determination. Yeul had seen a few pieces of the timeline, and instead of taking her to the Oracle Drive, he took it upon himself to start remembering them himself._

_ Yeul doesn't seem to mind his protectiveness. They still spend time together like they used to, despite Ballad having only been around her at certain times during the day. He isn't going to be like Ballad. Even with training for the upcoming war, she's always by his side. And now, he must put his life on the line to save her._

_ The War of Transgression is upon them._

When Etro saves Cocoon and Pulse by stopping Ragnarok from destroying the floating shell, Caius is still fighting. Enemy armies were invading Paddra. And the seeress was Caius' top priority. He had to save her, no matter what. And it was at the last moment, the very last resort, when he summoned his Eidolon and infused himself with it.

_Yeul didn't know what was going on. For once, she hadn't known anything like this was going to happen. She had seen visions of the main event of the war, of Ragnarok, but never anything of Caius' battle. And she is worried._

_ But never more so than when she sees Caius' figure dissolve into Bahamut. "Caius!" she screams, but the creature cannot answer now. It will only take one attack, one largely concentrated Mega Flare, to wipe out the enemy, but Caius' life is already lost. He couldn't have fought them on his own. So many friends are already dead._

_ Yeul's eyes widen when the magic connects with the soldiers. "Caius!"_

_ And now, even as she runs toward the figure on the ground, the figure of her friend, her Guardian, she knows she is too late. His heart has long stopped beating. The warmth has drained from his body. She places a gentle hand on his cheek. "Thank you..." her voice is wistful, soft, but she tries not to cry. She can't cry. Not in front of Caius. Not in front of the one who gave his life to save her._

_ She wraps her arms around his still form and rests her head on his chest. Oh, how she wishes he would wake up! How she wishes he would rise from his position to comfort her, tell her that everything would be alright, and that he is still alive and with her. But her hopes are in vain, and she knows that..._

_ "Yeul..."_

_ Yeul head shoots up and she looks into Caius' closed eyes. "Caius? Speak to me, Caius, if you can hear me," she orders, hopefulness and relief in her voice. Or... is she imagining it? Is it just a figment of her imagination, trying to make his survival a reality?_

_ "Yeul..." he says again. This time, Yeul knows she heard it. She sees his lips move with the single word. She can feel his chest rise with every breath, and lower with every exhale. Relief and joy flood her senses._

_ Paddra's medics arrive not too much later. They have gathered a group of survivors, and one medic had caught sight of the seeress and rushed to help, drawing the attention of the others. Yeul watches as they place Caius on a stretcher, and carry him off in the direction of the healers' tent._

_ And then, as Etro's crest appears before her emerald eyes, images of Caius are presented before her. She smiles softly, knowing that, somehow, Caius had been saved by the Goddess herself._

_The next day, Caius does not wake. She knows that he will, eventually, but she can't wait. She doesn't want to. She caresses his the soft skin of his cheek, feeling the warmth that has now returned. She looks out the window, seeing a few other tribe members going about their daily activities. Yeul looks back down at Caius. "I haven't seen anything of Vanille or Fang. I thought they'd be here waiting for you to wake up, Caius. You've been asleep for a day now. It was a night ago that they brought you home after the battle."_

_ No answer. Yeul's smile still doesn't fade._

_ "But I'm not worried. I know you will wake up sometime. So go ahead, sleep. You're so lazy!" she jokes, even if he couldn't hear her. And she swears she heard his laughter in her head._

_ "I don't slack off. You should know that by now, Yeul," comes a teasing voice back. Yeul, not having noticed that she had moved her gaze, looks back down at Caius. His eyes are open, yet he is not looking at her. A smile is on his lips._

_ "Good morning, sunshine," she greets happily. Now, Caius looks at her, sitting at his besides. She hasn't moved since he was placed in the bed, just so she would be there when Caius finally opened his eyes._

_ "How long have I been asleep?" he asks, not bothering to return her cheerful greeting._

_ "A day. They carried you from the battlefield the night before last," she replies with a roll of her eyes. How dare he ignore her 'good morning'? Caius sits up slowly, not seeming to be in any pain. "The Goddess must be looking after you. You seem to be moving quite well," Yeul notes._

_ "Yeul... what happened?" Caius asks, nothing but curiosity in his voice. To be honest, Yeul has no idea. Her vision depicted nothing but images of Caius and the Goddess, but the connection between them is lost on her_

_ "I think the Goddess saved you. But I don't know how," Yeul responds. At her prompting, Caius allows Yeul to look over his wounds of the battle. It is nothing to worry over now, but the bandages need changing. By chance, her gaze travels upwards toward his neck, and at his l'Cie brand. Or rather... "Your brand is gone," she tells him simply._

_ "My l'Cie brand?"_

_ "Yes. It seems the Goddess has saved you in more ways than one," she nods. But how? Caius wonders. And now, if he is no longer a l'Cie, how can he protect Yeul?_

_ "How is that possible?" he asks, praying that Yeul knows the answer._

_ "The Goddess is capable of freeing a l'Cie from their fate. Assuming it was in fact the Goddess who saved you, I would say that she granted you your life in return for your l'Cie brand - a trade in which you would be giving something you could very well do without for something you need. Etro is being generous towards you, Caius," she explains, and Caius isn't too sure he absorbs the information. It seems too surreal for him to grasp._

_ He is wary. There has to be a catch._

After the events of that day, Caius remembers how everything in his life went to hell. He remembers finally realising what the "catch" truly was. As much as both of them wanted it to last, their happiness was fleeting.

_Yeul's life is drained with every vision. The elders told him that after her death two days later. She had died in his arms, words that spoke of immortal love dying on her lips. And when her eyes had closed for the final time, Caius' cursed heart split in two._

_ "Why did you not tell me? Answer me!" Caius slams his hand down on the consul's long table, fury boiling in his blood. "What the hell was I protecting her for? In the end, she died because of her visions!"_

_ "You protected her from those involved in the war. You sacrificed yourself and gained the Heart of Chaos."_

_ Caius falls back. The Heart of Chaos? He knows what it is, and he recognises the name._

_ "Caius Ballad, chosen warrior of Etro. You are to be the seeress' eternal Guardian. A new seeress will be born soon, and you shall be the one to protect her." Caius is speechless. Is this why they are so calm? Another seeress, another _Yeul _will be born again, so this one doesn't matter at all? Caius' anger only grows._

_ "And that's the reason why you don't care?"_

_ "Contain your anger!"_

_ "Why should I?"_

_ "Because she was but one of the many Yeuls you will protect! If you cannot restrain yourself after a single death, you are far from ready to be her Guardian."_

_ Caius holds back now. 'One of the many'? He's confused, but doesn't let it show. Is he saying... that Yeul will continue to die and be reborn, over and over? He doesn't know what to think, never mind what to say._

_ "It is an honour to be Guardian of the seeress, Caius Ballad."_

_ He doesn't want to hear any more of this nonsense. So, he straightens himself, turns, and walks out of the tent._

Caius remembers what life was like after this. He grew to the age of twenty, and on one day, a child by the name of Yeul was born into the village. He had sworn to himself that he would protect this Yeul, just as he had the previous, but never love her like he had his own Yeul.

He remembers the thought that crossed his mind when, not fourteen years later, this Yeul passed on while she lay in his arms. _Why can I not save you?_

He remembers the centuries that flew by before his eyes, the countless Yeuls he had watched wilt before his eyes coming and going along with them, like a current. He remembers the first thought of a plan that had formed in his mind. Somehow, he would be able to, in all those centuries, to save the girl he once loved.

He remembers how he longed for his beloved again, to see those bright green eyes and steel blue hair once more without thinking "she's just a copy" when he knew it could be so _true_ and so _false_at the same time.

He also remembers the time when hope was born. The year was 682 AF, and his name was Noel Kreiss.

He was the one. He would slay the Goddess and free both Caius and Yeul from their curses. And in the end, the boy had done everything Caius had wanted him to do.

Conjuring the memories brought a smirk to his lips. "Yeul, let us begin," Caius calls, stepping off the crystal throne. "We are freed from our eternal curse. Embrace the new world... the Goddess is dead!"

not **the end**

* * *

><p>In the original version, Vanille made no appearance. I hope you enjoyed that part.<p>

The next chapter is called _Losing My Best Friend_ and is in the process of being written.

As always, reviews are welcome! I'm taking requests, so if you have no FanFiction or Tumblr account, feel free to review your request. I'll get back to you in the next chapter.

_A Study in Elegant Death_


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